Anthony Loke is new DAP sec-gen

Seremban MP Anthony Loke has been announced as the new DAP secretary-general following the party election at its 17th Annual Congress in Shah Alam today.

Loke was unanimously selected by the new central executive committee (CEC) to lead the party.

"As the new secretary-general, I see the results today as a new phase for DAP. Today's election is the beginning of the third generation leadership of DAP.

"We have the first generation like Lim Kit Siang who has retired, we have the second generation like Tan Kok Wai, Fong Kui Lun and Lim Guan Eng who are still part of the CEC but they are giving room to the third generation," Loke told journalists after the election.

He also thanked the party's veterans for their service and promised inclusive leadership.

"In the DAP, there are many talents and strengths. My approach is to continue with our tradition of a collective and inclusive leadership so that every DAP leader, whether they are in the CEC or not, will have a role to play in strengthening the party," Loke said, noting that the position of secretary-general is the first among equals.

Meanwhile, former party secretary-general Guan Eng successfully won a seat on the CEC and was then appointed as the new chairperson.

Another notable appointment is Steven Sim, who was made the national organising secretary, Loke's former position.

This time, the number of CEC positions available has been increased from 20 to 30 since the DAP re-election in 2017, with 17 new faces making the cut.

Among those who are new to the CEC include Young Syefura Othman, who was the only Malay candidate to make it onto the list.

She also replaces Zairil Khir Johari as the only Malay representative who was successfully appointed to the CEC. Zairil failed to defend his position on the CEC in this election.

Another notable new addition to the CEC is Lim Hui Ying, who is the daughter of DAP veteran Kit Siang.

Kit Siang had announced his political retirement earlier today. DAP sources had suggested that Lim wanted to limit the number of family members in the leadership to avoid complaints of a "political dynasty". Guan Eng is also his son.

Kit Siang as mentor

Kit Siang was given the figurehead position of mentor.

Guan Eng had to step down as the secretary-general, the top executive position, due to a three-term limit set by the party constitution.

A notable figure who successfully retained his position is Ronnie Liu, who managed to place 20th on the list of elected CEC members.

This is despite his publicly critical position of the DAP leadership on various matters, including the candidates for the Johor snap polls as well as the party’s previous cooperation with former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Jannie Lasimbang was also successfully elected to the CEC despite garnering a lower number of votes than some other candidates due to DAP’s 30 percent women quota for the committee.

The 13 members who managed to retain their CEC positions also saw shuffling in their positions, with Gobind Singh Deo climbing from second place in the last election to the first position this time, with 1,782 votes.

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow also shot up the list, going from 14th to second place with 1,641 votes.

Other significant changes include Guan Eng falling from third place to eighth (1,311 votes), Chong Chieng Jen falling from seventh to the 16th position (1,154), Teo Nie Ching from sixth to 19th (1,071) and Liew Chin Tong from the fifth rank to the 22nd (1,008).

Seven missing from the list

Meanwhile, seven of those who were elected to the CEC in the 2017 re-election were missing from the list this time, including Kit Siang who had announced his withdrawal from the polls this morning.

Kit Siang clinched the number one spot in the last party election five years ago.

Teng Chang Khim, who was 16th on the CEC list in the last party election, also did not re-contest this time.

The other five who had re-contested and lost in this election are Tony Pua, Chong Eng, Ngeh Koo Ham, Zairil Khir Johari and V Sivakumar.

The DAP electoral system follows a two-tier system where members elected their top 30 candidates to the CEC instead of specific positions.

The elected top 30 then later appoint among themselves to fill the respective positions in the party. Their term will last until 2025.

There were also five unelected members co-opted into the leadership.

The new leadership lineup is as follows:

Chairperson: Lim Guan Eng

Deputy chairperson: Gobind Singh Deo

Vice-chairpersons:
Nga Kor Ming
Chow Kon Yeow
Chong Chieng Jen
M Kulasegaran
Teresa Kok

Secretary-general: Anthony Loke

Deputy secretaries-general:
Liew Chin Tong
V Sivakumar (co-opted)
Tengku Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji (co-opted)

Treasurer: Fong Kui Lun

Deputy treasurer: Ng Sze Han

Organising secretary: Steven Sim

Assistant organisnig secretaries:
Ng Suee Lim
Khoo Poay Tiong (co-opted)

Publicity secretary: Teo Nie Ching

Asisstant publicities secretaries:
Hannah Yeoh
V Ganabatirau (co-opted)

International secretary: Jannie Lasimbang

Assistant international secretary: Kasthuri Patto

Political education director: Wong Kah Woh

Assistant political education director: Wong Shu Qi

Committee members:
Tan Kok Wai
Lim Lip Eng
Lim Hui Ying
Alice Lau
Chan Foong Hin
Ronnie Liu
Tan Hong Pin
Young Syefura Othman
Teo Kok Seong
Thomas Su
Wu Him Ven
Syahredzan Johan (co-opted)

Mentor: Lim Kit Siang

Adviser: Tan Kok Wai

Parliamentary chief: Nga Kor Ming